S. K. Sen, C.J.—The writ petitioners in these writ petitions are licensees for country liquor/foreign liquor and beers. Since common issues, namely, claiming renewal of their licences granted to them till 31.3.2002 for another period of one year from 1.4.2002 and for quashing the notice dated 18.3.2002 published in daily newspaper (Dainik Jagran, Gorakhpur) are involved in these writ petitions, they are being disposed of by this common judgment. That apart, a large number of writ petitions involving the same questions of facts and law have been instituted in this Court and they have been connected with these petitions. Therefore, all those connected writ petitions will be governed by the decision in these writ petitions and they are also disposed of by this common judgment.

2. The case of the petitioners is that some of the licensees were granted licences in the year 2000 and some of them in the year 2001 for a period of one year or part thereof, renewable on the conditions to be decided by the State Government. According to relevant Rules governing the grant of licence in respect of country made liquor, foreign liquor, and beer, to be discussed hereinafter, the licence gra